Toggle actuated and adjustably mounted pivoted jaw wrench



V. S. WARD ET AL TOGGLE ACTUATED AND ADJUSTABLY Aug. 9, 1949.

MOUNTED PIVOTED JAW WRENCH i i El...-

Filed Feb. 26, 1946 Vinnent a Z522 6v Gordon 7f. \Z/uTZZJuZJ PatentedAug. 9, 1949 TOGGLE ACTUATED ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED 'PIV'OTED JAW "WRENCHVincent S. Ward and Gordon K. Hurlbut, Binghamton, N. Y., assignors, bymesne assignments, to B M Manufacturing Corporation, Binghamton, Y., .acorporation of New York Application February 26, 1946, Serial No.650,242

1 Claim.

This invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly to those ofthe type disclosed in Patent No. 2,388,5 0, dated November "6., 1945,and issued to F. A. Snell.

In that patent is shown a wrench in which a movable jaw is brought to a.parallel relation with a fixed jawregardless of the spacingof the jaws,by movement of an actuating handle, and the present inventioncontemplates a stucture by means of which similar results are obtained.The present invention relates to improvements in the type of wrenchreferred to, and by means of which .a more symmetrical,positively-operating structure results. I

For example, in the wrench of the above-mentioned patent it will beobserved that a curved or arcuate adjusting link extends between themovable jaw and the frame of the wrench; that said link provides acurved surface against which the head of an adjusting screw isoperative, and that when the jaws are closed, the rear portion of thecurved link projects out of the back of the wrench frame, thus providinga mundedprotuberance, tending to widen the wrench, and detracting fromits symmetry.

The present invention contemplates the provision of meansby which theuse of a curved link of this character is obviated, and the weaknessesof .such an arrangement eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which certainparts of the wrench structure are materially strengthened andreinforced, resulting in a. sturdier and highly efiicient wrench of thiskind.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particulardescription of which will hereinafter appear, and the scope thereof bedefined by the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wrenchconstructed according to the invention, the jaws being shown in closedposition; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the wrench in open position,with one of the face plates of the frame removed to show the operatingparts; Fig.

3 is an edge view of the wrench, as seen from the right side of Fig. 1;Fig. 4 is a face view of the adjusting link, and Fig. 5 is an edge viewof the link, looking at the top edge of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, the frame of the wrench is generally indicated at I, thesame including a pair of similarly-shaped side members or face platesdesignated at 2 and 3. The fixed handle portion of the wrench iscomposed of the narrowed end parts 40 of the face plates 2 and 3,between which is sandwiched an insert I8 composed of plastic,

.2 wood, or other suitable light weight and strong material. RivetsIflextending through the :parts Adana through. the insert 18 hold theparts together, with the face plates 2 and 3 thus maintained in suitablyspaced relation.

.At, '4' is shown the fixed jaw Which-is mounted between the faceplates-at one end and, heldin place -therebetween by means of the rivets'5. or otherequivalzent fastening elements. The fixed jaw imaybe'provided: with a serrated gripping face 6 as shown. w

The movable jaw is shown at'8, the same :bein of substantiallybell-crank form, and havingrthe head portion 1, formed with thegrippingface 9, and having an arm Balocated between the ends of a pairof companion links II and .pivotaliy attached thereto by the pivot pinIll. The second armillof the movable jaw 8 is pivotally' attached by apin 22 to the adjusting link 2 I tobe shortly described.

At His shown the actuating handle by-means of which the movable jaw 8 ismoved to orzfrom the :fixed jaw 4.. Said handle I 5 has One end locatedbetween the ends of the companion links 2H 1 .pivotallysecured theretoby means of the pivot pin vI 2 which has its ends disposed in angularslots 13 formed inthe sides orface plates 2 and '3 of the frame. Bymovement of the handle Ili -in adirection to or from the fixed handle,pin I2will be causedto ride up and down in the slots I3 in a manner tobe described.

At I6 is shown a pair of short companion links which are pivoted at I4to the actuating handle I5, at a point between the pivot I2 and the freeend of said handle, the opposite ends of the links I6 being pivoted onthe pin I1, said pin being secured between the sides or face plates 2and 3 of the frame I.

The construction of the adjusting link 2| will be noted in Figs. 2, 4and 5, wherein it will be seen that the same is of triangulated shape,being pivoted at its narrower end at 22 to the arm of the movable jaw.The opposite or wider end of the link 2! is pivotally mounted on a pinsecured between the sides or face plates 2 and 3 of the frame. Link 2|is of laminated construction and consists of two outer plates 4| and 42,between which is secured a central, thicker plate 23, the threelaminations being held together in unitary form by means of the rivets24 or other equivalent fastening elements. It willbe observed that thecentral lamination 23 is smaller than the outer plates ll and 42 so thatthese plates project beyond the end of the central lamination, thusproviding a clevis portion 43 between which the arm The coil spring 33tends to hold a shoulder 26,

provided adjacent to the wider end of the link 2|, against the end 21 ofa T-shaped adjusting screw 29. The head 27 of said adjustingscrew 29 isguided in angular slots 3| formed in the face plates 2 and 3. A nut 30is threaded on the adjusting screw and said nut 30 protrudes throughopenings in the face plates 2 and 3, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3. Bymanipulation of the nut 30 the of the back of the Wrench. This isespecially noticeable in Fig. 1 where the edge 44 of the link 2| will beseen to be in substantial parallelism with the rear edges of the faceplates 2 and 3 and projects beyond the same to a negligible amount quiteinsufficient to destroy the straight-line effect at the back of thewrench. It will be further noted that the angularity of the shoulder .26on the link 2| is relatively slight so that this v adjustment of themovable jaw 21. positive one and adjusting screw 29 is moved up or downin the 7 slots 3| and its head 21, in constant contact with the shoulder26 of the adjusting link 2|, determines the spacing of the face 9 of themovable jaw from the face 6 of the fixed jaw.

It will be seen from the structure described that when the actuatinghandle l5 is moved toward the fixed handle portion of the frame I, itwill cause the movable jaw 8, through the arrangement of linksdisclosed, to swing toward the fixed jaw 4 to an extent determined bythe head 21 of the adjusting screw against which the shoulder 26 of theadjusting link abuts. movable jaw will assume a position of parallelismto the fixed jaw when it reaches the limit of its inward swing and then,when pin l4 passes the over-center position, the parts will be locked inclose clamping relation with any object to be grasped between the jaws.When releasing the object by swinging the handle l5 outwardly, or to theposition shown in Fig. 2, it will be noted that the slots l3 permit thedescent of the pivot pin l2 to the lower ends of these slots, and thisdescending movement of the pivot l2 under the swing of the handle l5,exerts a longitudinal pull on the links H, causing them to impart aswinging movement on the movable jaw, thus swinging said jaw about thepivot 22 to bring its gripping face 9 to the angular position shown inFig. 2, and at once permitting the release of the object then locatedbetween the jaws.

, In the construction described it will be noted that the shape of theadjusting link 2| is such that a relatively small portion of itprotrudes out The a easily secured.

While I have described one embodiment of the invention, it is obviousthat the same is not to be restricted thereto but is broad enough tocover all structure coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What we claim is:

In a tool of the character described, a frame having a fixed jaw, amovable jaw in the frame, a pair of companion links between which an endof the movable jaw is pivoted, an actuating handle having an end pivotedbetween the opposite end of the companion links, a pair of couplinglinks pivoted at one end to the frame and at the other end to theactuary handle, an adjusting link of triangulated shape having itsnarrower end clevissed to pivotally receive a part of the movable jaw,said adjusting link being pivoted at its wider end to the frame andhaving a shoulder near said wider and pivoted end, an adjusting screwmounted in the frame, and resilient means at the wider and pivoted endof the adjusting link and adjacent to the shoulder for holding saidshoulder in contact with the adjusting screw.

VINCENT S. WARD. GORDON K. HURLBUT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,211,507 Lilleberg Aug. 13, 19402,388,580 Snell Nov. 6, 1945 2,420,020 Snell May 6, 1947 2,436,497 SnellFeb. 24, 948

